Origins of the Horothrium War
Category: Horothrium Hegemony Category: Horothrium War Category: Nymean Ascendancy The Horothrium War is a conflict between the Horothrium Hegemony and the Nymean Ascendancy being fought in the Unknown Regions. However, the war did not start overnight. Relations between the Horothrium and the Nymeans have never been open or good. The Horothrium, a natural predatory species, has the innate desire to conquer all that they see. For hundreds of years, they have conquered planets and governments without stop. Only constant raids and threats of total invasion by the Vagaari kept the Horothrium from attacking Nulvar and Areltsi before they did. Horothrium Reaction Problems For decades, the Horothrium had been planning an invasion of the Nulvarl Empire, and later the Nymean Ascendancy. They were at first too distracted to fight the aggressive Nulvarl Empire under Jorell, but later, they could possibly have managed it if it were not for small wars with the Vagaari. When they ended the fighting with the Vagaari, they realized that the Nymean Ascendancy was much more powerful than they imagined beforehand and that something had to be done to stop them before they overwhelmed the Hegemony. Three things stopped them from doing this.The first was that several planets and races stood between them and Nulvarl or Areltsi and needed to be conquered. The second was the continued presence of the Vagaari as a threat to the Horothrium, they could not afford a two front war. The third was the alliances between the Nymeans and the Ni'novian Empire. The first hurdle was solved in two ways. First was by conquering the planets Efuz, Empatny, Heral, and Tagol IV. This brought them closer to their target. They were on the verge of attacking Jroven when the Vagaari War broke out and the planet later joined the Nymean Ascendancy. That and Nymean expansion into territories previously blocked by threat of the Vagaari brought the two empires very close together and prevented the need to conquer more planets before reaching the Ascendancy. The second hurdle was overturned by the Vagaari War. When the Chiss and Nymean Ascendancies joined to crush the Vagaari after their involvement in the Yavin Crisis, the Horothrium were free to focus their attention on the Nymeans. The Vagaari War was a mixed blessing and curse to the Nymeans who gained considerable territory and removed a threat, but at the cost of moving closer to another threat. The third hurdle was resolved by the Nymeans themselves. While they were part of the Order of Sovereignty or any of its Ni'novian predecessors, they were safe, but with independence declared in 46 ABY and the major power of the Order of Sovereignty being dwindled to a mere fraction of its size, the Horothrium realized that now was the time to strike. With nothing stopping them now, they readied for war. Preparations The Horothrium took several steps as early as 47 ABY to prepare for their war against the Ascendancy. They began colonizing several previously uninhabited planets such as Feai, Loaj, Weevho, Tegaxf, and Tokitag so they would have bases of operations while attacking. It also sped up the eventual clash over colonization rights that would help justify the conflict among non-Horothrium species in the Hegemony. They organized their military under Lai Dravix who realized that they had to do something about the superior technology of the Nymeans. Since they could not hope to match their technology, he opted for sheer firepower. The Horothrium have no ion canons and only weak missiles, so they concentrate their attack tactics into massed laser fire and overwhelming numbers. They mass produced Si-vlade fighters and transported them on the newly re-designed Vanglon carriers. To escort the fighter force, they made Feutra cruisers and Lovock frigates. The military trained expendable troops and prepared for their total invasion. When the word was given, fleets and hordes of Horothrium troops surged into Nymean territory. Nymean Reaction Feelings towards War The Horothrium were not the only ones that were eager for war. Many Nymean leaders in the A'trest Party saw war with the Horothrium as a means and a way to expand Nymean borders by annexing Horothrium territory. They believed that their superior technology and modern weapons would give them the edge. Not only that, but they believed that they could gather supporters from subdued species in the Hegemony and start uprisings and that those planets would join the Ascendancy of their own free will. They also believed it would provide a strong nationalist spirit for the youth of the Ascendancy and prove to the Galaxy that the Nymean Ascendancy was a force that could stand on its own without foreign help. Opponents to the conflict were mainly focused in the Triad Party which did not want to engage in such a war unless the Horothrium attacked first. Preparations Despite not wanting to start a war, Erstis realized it was an inevitability and prepared for it. He used the time after declaring independence from the Order of Sovereignty]] to stockpile weapons and supplies for the conflict. His plans were delayed when most of those supplies went to Coruscanti survivors, but he continued nonetheless. He developed the Erstis Redoubt Plan and implemented it on several planets. The plan called for garrisons on uninhabited planets that would hopefully draw Horothrium attention to those sectors and trap them there for a time giving the Nymeans a chance to react to the threat. The fleet was restructured and gunners and fighter pilots were trained to deal with massed fighter threats. More soldiers were trained and militias organized, especially among the Coruscanti who lived in the region. Jorelas pledged to protect the region and offered the services of the Force users at Tetral Temple if he was given authority over the region. Erstis and the Admiralty Court agreed to his terms with pleasure and worked closely with him. By the time the war started, the Nymeans were prepared and able to withstand the initial onslaught.